An Ouran Nutcracker Christmas
by mcangel1976
Summary: It is Christmas time and Kyoya and Haruhi are together, but why is he suddenly a nutcracker and why is lobelia a rat with multiple heads? Will he be destroyed? Why is Tamaki in a tutu? Is it real or just a dream? Didn't they just have their Christmas party? Kyoya was normal then. It all adds up to a crazy Christmas with the Host Club.
1. Surprise Christmas

**Disclaimer… I still don't own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters. If I did, Haruhi would not have ended up with Tamaki. ;)**

**A/N: Here it is. The first of my two holiday stories. This one is for Kyoya and was inspired by both the Nutcracker (I love this story) and the Haruhi in Wonderland episode. I'm sure you can already see where this is going. It will be 3 chapters. FYI… it will follow Japanese school terms which the new school year starts in April. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1 – Surprise Christmas!

She felt like she was in a dream, but it felt too real to be her imagination. Inside her apartment stood a tall Christmas tree with so many presents underneath that her mind was awhirl. Haruhi should have expected as much given her relationship with the hosts. Tamaki would freak himself out imagining her too poor to have a Christmas tree, or that her real father couldn't afford to get her anything. The others would go along with it because they wanted to enhance her life, drive her crazy, or because they couldn't say no to their leader… and that included Kyoya. Why he ever went along with it all, she would never know.

Kyoya. Just his name sent warm fuzzies through her body. Ok, maybe not to that extreme, but he made her smile and feel cherished; which was odd because he was the Shadow King. They had confessed and had been dating since the beginning of the new school year; the first day in fact. He was now a third year and she a second. After Tamaki had confessed to her the night of the Ouran Fair, Haruhi realized that she had feelings for someone else, and it took some time, but she finally sorted through those feelings worked up the courage to confess fully expecting to be rejected; however, something else happened…

**_Flashback…_**

_"__Kyoya-senpai, may I speak to you a moment?" Haruhi asked him as soon as he had arrived. She had been lying in wait wanting to do the deed instead of waiting and allowing her emotions and anxiety to build up. Never had she been more aware of someone of the opposite sex, nor had she ever had feelings for a guy. This was a first and she felt like a fish out of water. _

_"__Of course, Haruhi. How may I assist you?" Kyoya inquired as he approached her. He had not an inkling of why she would want to talk to him, but curiosity won out. As time moved on through her first year, he realized that his feelings surpassed that of a friend, however, Tamaki was his best friend and the cool host knew the princely type loved the natural host. Therefore, he would bow out gracefully. Much to his surprise, the blond had been rejected and Kyoya wondered briefly if he had a chance._

_Seeing the small crowd forming, she turned around and started walking away, "Please follow me." She wanted to confess, but she didn't necessarily want an audience. Arriving at the gazebo in the rose maze, she spun around, her yellow skirt flaring out (no longer able to dress as a boy since her secret had been revealed at the Ouran Fair) as she planted her feet. _

_"__I have followed. Now what is this about? Please be quick about it as I have other things to attend to."_

_If it had been anyone else, his tone would have stung, but Haruhi believed she had Kyoya figured out and knew some of his abruptness was an act… unless you pissed him off or tried to wake him up early in the morning. Clearing her throat, she began, "I like you senpai."_

_Did he dare hope she meant it as more than a friend? Deciding not to reading more into this outburst, he stated simply, "I like you too, Haruhi. You are a good friend and an invaluable member of the Host Club."_

_Shoulders slumping in slight defeat, Haruhi shook her head, bucked up her courage, and tried again, "No senpai. I like you as more than a friend… as in a romantic way. I'm sure you don't feel the same and that you probably already…" She started to ramble when he didn't say anything, his glasses hiding his eyes so she was unable to see any sort of reaction._

_"__Excuse me?" Kyoya blurted. He had not been expecting this. Hoping yes, but not truly expecting it. _

_"__I like you," she mumbled again, her courage was abandoning her in light of his reaction… and then it happened. _

_Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya stepped forward with a smile on his face to cup her cheek as he said, "I suppose if an audacious princess, such as yourself, confesses, I have no choice but to accept her affection since the feelings are mutual."_

_"__Huh?" She thought she heard he felt the same, but didn't quite catch everything he said. His thumb brushing across her face was quite distracting. _

_"__I like you as well… in the romantic sense," he repeated and leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. _

_Behind them they could hear the sounds of cheering and when they turned they found Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki grinning from ear to ear and clapping. The blond was also waving a handkerchief in the air as he used another to dab his eyes, "My baby has grown up and found love." Some might have thought he would have fought the pairing tooth and nail, but he supported it. Haruhi had come to him the day before to talk to him, and he could think of no one better to win the heart of the princess, well at least since it hadn't been him. _

**_End flashback…_**

Kyoya and Haruhi had been together ever since… eight months and they were still going strong. Some wondered how she had caught the eye of the Shadow King, but no one could deny they felt strongly for each other.

And now Christmas was almost upon them, actually it was tomorrow. The Host Club had taken upon themselves to bombard her home for an impromptu Christmas party, however, if she wasn't mistaken – and she knew she wasn't – they had already had their Christmas party. Two of them in fact: one at school and one at the twins house (Tamaki wanted it at his, but they drew straws and he lost, which he said was unfair since it was two against one). So why were they there for another party? This was the Host Club, who knows. Haruhi only knew she sat at her table next to her boyfriend as servants got rid of the small tree, installed one that took up half the room, and then piled presents under the new tree… thankfully not throwing away anything that had already been under the original tree.

The tree was beautiful and she had not been expecting it, kind of didn't want it, but if she told them that, Tamaki would grow more mushrooms and pout, the twins would give her a hard time, Hunny would give her puppy eyes and start to tear up, Mori would give her the look, and Kyoya would say something about her being ungracious (he was still the Shadow King, so this time he would say it teasingly with a smile on his face because she was still his girlfriend). Thus she kept it and told herself she could get rid of it in a couple of days.

"Can we open presents now Tama-Chan?" Hunny asked after they had eaten the meal Haruhi had prepared as well as the cake she had baked.

"Why of course Hunny-senpai!" Tamaki exclaimed and dove towards the tree. If carpet had been on the floor instead of tatami mats, he might have gotten carpet burn… and there wasn't even that much space in the apartment (as Haruhi had been reminded several times since they came over the first time).

Passing out the presents one by one, the Host Club president played Santa. Most were for Haruhi, however, she didn't seem overly enthusiastic over any of the gifts. And then the last gift was handed to her, a soft smile appeared on her lips as she gazed at the gift and Tamaki was overjoyed since it had been from him, "Do you like it?"

The brunette never took her eyes away from the doll as she answered, "Yah, I do. My mom would take me to the Nutcracker when I was a kid before she passed away, and then Kyoya took me last night. It was the first time I had been since we lost her. I had forgotten... I love it. Thank you Tamaki-senpai."

"You're welcome Haruhi," Tamaki said, but soon he couldn't hold back any longer and reached across the room and grabbed her, pulling her into a choke hold… I mean hug.

Shaking his head, Kyoya rescued her with the help of his dark aura and the threat of Mori doing the blond bodily harm. "Are you alright, Haruhi?"

"Yes, I am," she smiled and gave him a small kiss before looking at the others in the room and saying, "Thank you everyone. This has been a great Christmas."

"Because you got a lot of presents, right?" Hikaru snickered teasing her.

In all seriousness, she said, "No, because all of you are here this year."

Awes went around the room and everyone agreed with that sentiment. There may be up and down, things they had to overcome (like Tamaki trying to get married and run away to France), but they had each other and were a family, and that is what Christmas was all about: being with the people you love and cherish.


	2. Spells, Fairies, and a Prince

**A/N: I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Last chapter was pretty much a set up for the rest of the story. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 2 - Magical Spells, Sugar Plum Fairies, and a Prince

A scuffling, a squeak. Something moving in the night. Haruhi woke up with a start and noticed that it was just midnight. When had she fallen asleep? Where was everyone? They were all missing. Another scratching sand. What was that? What had woken her up?

Suddenly she felt odd. Not sick. There was no real way to describe this feeling. She just felt weird. Closing her eyes, she hoped the feeling would pass and then she could look around again, but when she opened her eyes again, she had to bend her head back to gaze up at her tree, her television, and everything else in the apartment. She had shrunk! How had that happened? This had to be some sort of weird dream. Maybe Tamaki spiked the punch or the food or something! She was now the same size as her nutcracker.

Another sound pulled her focus away from the tree and her current plight. What was that? She looked around and found… a rat. Not just one, but there were at least a dozen who were suddenly coming from every crack and crevice. Since when did they have a rat problem? Never! But here they were and they were coming towards her. As they marched towards her, she backed up scanning the area for something to fight them with. Side to side, her eyes swept the room and constantly came up short. She needed something with which to defend herself. And then a sound, a horrible haunting squeak coming from the under the tree. Her heartbeat accelerating, she was prepared to face her foe – it was either than or succumb to the rats and that was not how she wanted to leave this world. Quite the contrary, she rather get back to normal size and spend the holiday with her boyfriend… and her friends if they decided to barge in on Christmas as well as Christmas Eve. At this point, she would welcome them with open arms.

The awful sounds got louder and she was starting to tremble at the unknown thing that was coming closer, intruding in her apartment. Where was her father? Where were the guys when she really needed them? It wasn't like she could call because her cell phone was on the coffee table, far too high for her to reach and too big for her to use anyway. Backing up to the bookshelf, she climbed on the shelf and tried to squeeze in between two books without much luck.

As soon as the thing appeared, she gasped. Before her stood a three headed rat wearing three crowns. But why were the heads those girls from Lobelia who constantly tried to kidnap her. On the left, Chizuru Maihara's face stared back at her with a maniacal smile. On the right, Hinako Tsuwabuki snickered. And in the middle, Benio Amakusa (Beni Bara) smirked studying Haruhi from head to toe, a hungry glint in her eyes. That glint gave Haruhi the shudders, and she wasn't exactly sure why.

All three heads' found and focused their gaze on Haruhi. They wanted her. She needed to join them, and if not, then she could be destroyed. Rushing forward, they tried to grab her, but was stopped by a sword in their way. Following the sword, they found a nutcracker blocking their path. Not just any nutcracker, Haruhi's nutcracker.

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Haruhi immediately recognized the toy that was helping her. It was the nutcracker that Tamaki had given her for Christmas. It had glasses and a purple and blue uniform. Tamaki had told her that he had it customized to look like Kyoya, not that she thought it looked like her boyfriend. How was it he was alive? And why did she suddenly see the resemblance to Kyoya – although very slight and minute. Shaking her head, she forced the thoughts from her mind. Right now was not the time to think about such things. Right now, she needed to focus on what was going on in front of her. Her nutcracker was trying to play hero and although it seemed he was putting up a good fight, she could tell he was struggling.

It was like the two foes were dancing. Leaping through the air, spinning, dodging, and twirling around each other. For every thrust, the rat queen parried. Then she would shuffle and thrust, trying to find an opening. On and on it went. Stabbing air, blocking strikes. The clanking of swords was almost deafening and Haruhi wondered why none of the neighbors rushed over to check on the commotion, or for that matter, she wondered why her father could still be heard snoring in his room. Didn't he hear this? She almost covered her ears, the noise was so loud.

"Haha, we will have her!" Beni Bara shouted.

"That's right!" The outside heads agreed.

The nutcracker did nothing but shake his head vigorously. He would never let this three headed rodent win Haruhi because if necessary, he would protect her with his very life. Letting his anger momentarily blind him, he thrust forward with his sword so hard and fast, he threw off his balance. A big mistake. He already knew it too. He could do nothing except hope the rat queen missed. And then something extraordinary happened; the rat queen faltered. Seeing his opportunity, he twisted his body and thrust his sword into the chest of his foe.

They couldn't believe it. Just as she/they were getting the upper hand and was mere inches away from stabbing the nutcracker, a shoe hit Beni in the face causing momentary surprise, and in the lapse, she felt the sword of her enemy pierce her heart. No more would she live to rule over her rats. No longer would she be able to sneak into Haruhi's house to watch her sleep. The world of the rats and people would not be bereft of the Rat Queen with here three heads. Dramatically falling to the ground, she fell backwards in a heap, sat up to take her last breath, and then fell down again this time dead… at least she should be.

Without thinking, Haruhi took off her slipper and threw it at the three headed rat just as it appeared her nutcracker would lose the battle, and by some miracle it actually hit the target. She could only imagine what the twins would have said in that moment, _"Wow, Haruhi. You can actually throw a shoe, but you don't much else in the way of athletic ability." _Falling to her knees, she lifted her head in time to see the dozen rats that had invaded her house, pick up their queen and carry her away. Good riddance.

A hand appeared in front of her face to help her to her feet, and when she lifted her head to gaze up at her savior, she found herself looking into the face of her beloved Kyoya. How? What? "Kyoya?" She asked bewildered as she placed her hand in his.

"Who else would be here to make sure nothing untoward happened to you?" He answered with a small smile turning up his lips.

She could have answered Mori, Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, or Hunny, for they all had rescued her at some point in time, but she smartly kept that to herself, but instead she said, "How? What is going on here?"

"That's easy…"

Sweat dropping when he uttered those words and didn't continue, the brunette probed, "It is?"

"I will explain everything later. Suffice it to say, I am a prince and you rescued me. Now, come with me. I have something wonderful to show you." He didn't give her a chance to argue or think about anything. Taking charge, he pulled her towards the tree where a bright light suddenly appeared and enveloped them.

Holding onto her boyfriend tightly and closing her eyes tightly, Haruhi trusted him to guide her through this unknown place, even if she was a little wary about what was happening. First of all, this was Kyoya and he would never let anything happen to her. Secondly, he was the Shadow King and most things were very afraid of the third son of the Ootori family. Finally, she trusted him more than anyone and so did her father, so she was in safe hands. Well, she hoped she was; however, he was acting a bit strange.

Kyoya dropped his eyes to the woman who clung to him and smiled again. This was the girl who had rescued him in more ways than one. The woman he had fallen for when he first laid eyes on her. She was more special than she probably realized and he never wanted to let her go. "Haruhi… Haruhi, look," he bent down and whispered into her ear.

Slowly opening her eyes, she gasped for twirling around them were snowflakes. The snow seemed almost alive and celebrating something, "It's so beautiful."

"Hmm, they appear to be happy to see you."

"Me? Why?"

"For you brought me back here to my kingdom. A curse was put upon me and you brought me back to life."

"Kyoya?" This was not like him, and although part of her liked it, it was a little unsettling to see this side of him. Even when they were alone, he was still the same Kyoya, albeit a little more touchy feely and a little (very little) more soft spoken; and although he wasn't completely soft on her, she wouldn't take him any other way because that is what made him… him.

"Your love brought me to life and broke the spell. You are the one who brought me home and rescued me. I pledge my life to you forever more. Please say that you will stay with me and be my queen."

"I… I…" How did she answer that? This was Kyoya and yet it wasn't. Taking a deep breath, she finally released it and said, "Yes."

Unable to hold in his happiness, he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. This was his dream come true. Breaking apart, he murmured against her lips, "Thank you. Come!"

Once again he was pulling her, leading her somewhere unknown; and once again she was following without further question. With that one answer, Haruhi knew she had committed herself, and besides, she was really curious about what exactly was going on. For now, she would play along. Why did this remind her of something that happened to her when she was in her first year? Didn't that have something to do with falling down a hole and seeing Usa-Chan actually walking?

They arrived at a large beautiful castle that sparkled in the sunlight almost as if covered in glitter (or candied sugar), and almost immediately a crowd awaited them. Haruhi had to blink a few times, rub her eyes, and blink a few more times before she was convinced what she was seeing was real. Why were her friends dressed in weird clothes?

The first to greet the couple was Hunny dressed in a costume from Spain and all of the sudden music from nowhere started to play and he was dancing. Actually his dance looked more jerky and jumpy, nothing like what it should. And was that Usa-Chan and Kuma-Chan joining him?

Tilting her head to the side, Haruhi shook her head. This did not look like it did in the ballet she had seen, but this was Hunny and this was the Host Club, so she would just go along with it because it was just easier that way.

"He represents chocolate," Kyoya whispered.

The brunette nodded, "Oh." Convinced this had to be another crazy dream, she tried to think of a way to wake herself up. Pinching herself, she groaned softly, "Ouch."

"Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yah. Perfectly fine," she smiled and turned back to the performance. Sometime while she was trying to wake herself up, Hikaru dressed in an Arabian costume and Kaoru dressed in a Chinese outfit had started to dance. "Aren't they supposed to be dancing separately?" She had been unable to hold in her question.

"This is Hikaru and Kaoru. You try to separate them during a performance."

"Good point."

Next up was Mori dressed in a Russian garb. As he started to dance, Haruhi felt herself finally forgetting about the dream, forgetting about getting home for now, and relaxing a little bit. The taller host seemed more skilled than the others and he moved with such precision, the brunette could almost picture him as a Russian dancer.

After he was finished, Haruhi expected to see a few more dancers, but the Sugar Plum Fairy approached. "Tamaki?!" Wearing a crown and dress, there was not mistaken that the Sugar Plum Fairy was her blond friend. This was all wrong. As she continued to watch, her regular customers were his Cavalier dancers. She wanted to laugh, and if she could pick up her jaw from the floor and get rid of the deadpan expression, she might just do that.

Tamaki approached the couple once his entrance had been concluded and cast his soft smiling gaze upon Haruhi, "Thank you for returning our prince and breaking the spell." He leaned in closely and whispered, "You really need to wake up because we all know I am the only prince."

"Huh? What did you say Tamaki-senpai?" The brunette questioned. Surely she had not heard him right, and soon she couldn't breathe.

Glomping her, Tamaki held on tight and squealed, "My daughter is just so cute! I can't believe you chose mommy over daddy! Daddy just loves his little girl!"

Kyoya sighed and pulled Haruhi free, knocking Tamaki to the ground in the process. The blonde's skirts went over his head and everyone could see his white tight clad lower half, "Daddy, please leave her alone. We have been through all of this before. Now get up before you embarrass yourself further, or do you want the whole school to see pictures of you in a girl's ballet outfit?"

Now this was the Kyoya Haruhi knew and loved. Much better.

"Eek! Sorry mommy!" Tamaki jumped to his feet and made sure to keep another 5 feet in between them.

"Haha, looks like Tono was red carded again!" Hikaru and Kaoru joked simultaneously.

"Isn't it time to crown them Sugar Plum Fairy-Chan?" Hunny smiled, his gaze telling no one to argue with him.

Tamaki turned his gaze to his shorter friend and said, "Huh?"

"The crowns," Kaoru told him.

"They are the king and queen now, so you have to crown them," Hikaru reminded the blond fairy.

Blinking for a moment, the princely type suddenly snapped and exclaimed, "It's time to crown our rulers!"

Everyone started to dance around the couple and Tamaki placed the crown upon their heads. Their prince was back and the spell was broken. It was a time for the kingdom to celebrate. Holding out his hand, Kyoya asked, "May I have this dance my queen?"

"Of course," Haruhi smiled and placed her hand in his. As they started to dance and spin about the room, she started to feel funny again and closed her eyes allowing Kyoya to lead her through the motions of the dance. The feel of his arms, the heat of his body, and the sound of his heartbeat were all lulling her to sleep. Sleep? Did that mean this wasn't a dream?


	3. A Season of Love

**A/N: Here we have the final chapter of our Christmas story. I hope you have enjoyed it. Look for Mori's New Year's story starting this weekend. Where ever you are in the world, whatever your beliefs, I hope that all of you have a safe and wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas!**

Chapter 3 – A Season of Love

Jolting awake with a start, Haruhi's head snapped up and she wildly scanned the room. Everyone was still there and her nutcracker stood guard next to her on the table.

"Whoa, what kind of dream were you having?" Hikaru chortled.

"Dream?" Haruhi asked. She was still not completely cognizant and felt a little discombobulated. Feeling a hand stroking her hair in back, Haruhi turned to her right and found her boyfriend. Her gaze drifted between him and the toy soldier.

Frowning at her, Kyoya wondered if he should worry as he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" She thought about the question and shook her head.

"You're not?"

She shook her head again and realized what she was doing, "No, I mean… I'm fine. All of you are here?"

Bewildered expressions were exchanged before Tamaki said, "Well of course we are silly. We still haven't watched the sunrise and made our wishes."

"That's only for New Year's, Tono," Kaoru informed the blond.

With a look of horror, the leader of the group gasped, "Eh?! It is?!"

"Yes," the twins declared together.

"No, that can't be right. I read it that daddy and daughter will watch…"

Kyoya rolled his eyes, unable to stop the automatic response to one of Tamaki's notions, and interrupted, "Daddy and daughter will do what? Think about what you say before you open your mouth and idiocy spills forth!" After Tamaki released a high pitch scream and fled to the closet, the bespectacled man turned to his girlfriend and asked, "Are you alright?"

Haruhi wasn't sure. She ran a hand through her hair and thought about it. That dream had been so vivid; so real. Although the fantastical part of it made her believe it was a dream at first, at some point in time she had stated to think of it as a reality. "No one dressed up in cosplay, did they?"

"Cosplay Haru-Chan? Not today. Why?" Hunny inquired.

"Man I think the boss finally sent her over the edge," Hikaru whispered to his brother, whose only response was to nod in agreement.

Rubbing her forehead, she laughed it off, "Never mind. It was just a really weird dream."

"Are you alright?" Kyoya asked again.

"Yah, it was just… odd."

"What did you dream about Haru-Chan?" Hunny questioned curiously.

Hikaru and Kaoru also wanted to be in the know, "What **did** you dream about? Did the boss have three heads or something?"

She tilted her head to the side and scowled, "No, but he did wear a dress."

"WHAT?" The entire room shouted the question as they all sweat dropped.

"Daughter, you don't really mean that do you?" Tamaki prodded hopeful she as just joking.

Hikaru shoved open the closet more than the crack it was and said, "It isn't like it's the first time you've worn a dress, boss."

"He's right. It was your idea to dress up in drag last year," Kaoru continued.

"But I'm the prince!" Argued the blond.

"In whose fantasies?" The redheads shot back.

Nodding, Hunny said "They're right Tama-Chan. Haru-Chan has Kyo-Chan now. So he would be her prince. Was I in your dream, Haru-Chan?"

The girl being questioned bobbed her head up and down slowly, "Yah. Actually all of you were."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What was it about? Can you tell us?" The shorter man pressed further.

She looked up at the man beside her and gave him a small smile before saying, "The Nutcracker."

"EH?" All but Kyoya sounded off.

Snickering, Haruhi explained, "I guess getting this nutcracker and seeing the ballet last night… well, I dreamed about it all. Kyoya was the nutcracker and those three girls from Lobelia were the different heads of the rat queen…" She went on to tell everyone the entire dream. There were a few times when Tamaki tried to protest, but the twins hogtied him and then tied a gag around his mouth so he couldn't talk. When she was done, she shrugged, "Like I said it was so weird and so real that… I don't know."

Hikaru and Kaoru were laughing so hard they fell over. The older twin finally got some words out, but he was having a hard time breathing, "So you are telling us that the boss was the fairy and your regulars were his subjects? And he wore a tutu? What do you say Kaoru, shall we make him one?"

A muffled protest could be heard from behind them and the twins turned around and jumped. It seems they had forgotten their leader since he was so… quiet during the recounting – even if it was a forced silence. Removing his gag, Kaoru grinned maliciously, "I do believe we need to make the entire costume complete with tiara and tights for our lord here."

"DON'T YOU DARE YOU EVIL DOPPELGANGERS! I FORBID YOU FROM DOING SUCH A THING! Daughter, come help daddy! The dream meant she saw me in a parental light. As a mother and a father since mommy can't be her mommy any longer," Tamaki whined.

"I don't think that's what it means, Tama-Chan," Hunny grinned as he chomped on a piece of cake.

"How can you say that Hunny-senpai?"

Mori sipped his tea and then said, "He's right."

"I would have to agree with Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai," Kyoya smirked at his friend as he pushed up his glasses and watched as Tamaki started to turn white. Chuckling, his gaze settled on his girlfriend and he asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I am, Kyoya," she smiled in order to reassure him. The dream had left her unsettled and a little confused, but it had not been sad and had not left her emotionally distraught; and it shined a new light on Kyoya as her prince. He was the only prince for this princess.

Leaning in more closely so that only Haruhi would hear him, he whispered in her ear, "Although, for the record, you did save me and I do consider you my princess. And… I can see Tamaki dressing like that, especially if you asked him."

Her face burned red as she felt his warm breath caress her ear and neck, and his words sent a thrill through her body, at least until the end and then she giggled, "Me too."

"Daughter, don't listen to anything mommy has to say! I can't believe that you dreamed about me falling and wearing a skirt and tights and…" the blonde's words were drowned out by the sound of laughter coming from everyone else.

When Tamaki returned to the closet to grow more mushrooms, Kyoya spoke loud enough for him to hear, "Just think about it Tamaki. This could be a good idea for our next cosplay."

Cosplay? That's right! There was still time to rectify this situation. Storming out of the closet, he proclaimed, "That's right mommy! We can do a Nutcracker cosplay! I will be the prince, and…"

"No! Don't you listen? You're the Sugar Plum Fairy," the twins teased as they became hysterical with laughter.

Tamaki would not take this, "I am not a fairy. I am the princely type, ergo I'm the only one suited to be the prince!"

No one responded. They all just laughed. He continued to throw a fit until Haruhi said, "We'll settle this later."

Christmas was about family and being with the ones she loved, and as Haruhi looked around her, she was surrounded by those very people. Grabbing Kyoya's hand, she smiled at him and whispered, "I love you."

Kyoya smiled and kissed her. It had been the first time she had said it. Oh they both knew how each other felt, but up until this point, it had always been "I like you" or "I care about you", never love. Speaking against her lips, he told her, "I love you too."

"Hey now! There are children here!" Hikaru and Kaoru snickered.

Laughing, Haruhi turned to her friends and lifted her glass, "Merry Christmas!"

The others in turn lifted their glasses, even Tamaki stopped his squawking, and repeated the toast, "Merry Christmas!" They remained together until eleven that night when Tamaki ordered everyone to their own homes, for they had to be in bed before Santa arrived or they would get nothing but coal. One by one, they said their goodbyes and left the apartment with Kyoya lingering the longest; and when he said his farewell, he captured her lips before repeating, "I love you. See you tomorrow."

"I love you too," she returned and gave him another small kiss right before Tamaki came back and dragged her boyfriend away.

"Mommy, we have to get home or Santa won't come!" The blond grumbled.

"Yes, Tamaki," Kyoya sighed and waved to his girlfriend as he was dragged away wondering why he gave into his best friend as much as he did.

Softly laughing, Haruhi closed the door and leaned against it tired from the day. This Christmas was about celebrating the family she had created with the Host Club, but it was also about the new relationship she had entered with Kyoya. This would be their first Christmas as a couple, the first time he would spend Christmas day with her, and the first time she ever told anyone outside of her father and mother that she loved them. It was a truly blessed time and she hoped there would be many more holidays like it in the future. Her father, her friends, and her boyfriend were all cherished parts of her life and she loved them all.

On New Year's Eve, the hosts were once again at Haruhi's house when the twins presented Tamaki with a box. "What's this?" He asked as he lifted the lid and found nothing but tulle.

"Your Sugar Plum Fairy costume!" They announced together.

As long as the hosts were around, Haruhi would never have another quiet holiday again.


End file.
